Forest Products Industry

Accsys announced that Accoya wood was chosen for the benches within the Queen Elizabeth II Memorial Garden at London’s Regent’s Park. The £5 million memorial honours the life of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and reflects her deep, personal appreciation of the outdoors. Source: Timberbiz Accoya wood was selected as the material of choice for a central circular bench and six linear benches due to its exceptional durability and stability in out-door environments. With a proven above ground lifespan of 50 years, it is ideally suited to a permanent public memorial, capable of withstanding year-round use and changing weather conditions while remaining aesthetically pleasing and low maintenance over time. The memorial garden has been designed by designer and manufacturer Millimetre, who worked closely with HTA Design and The Royal Parks to develop, manufacture, and install the seating. Millimetre has extensive experience of working with Accoya, having previously crafted Accoya seating for the Strand in London, and are currently working on Accoya structures for the Parkinson’s UK garden at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2026. The memorial garden landscaping design balances heavy public use with long-term sustainability. Accoya’s resistance to decay and low maintenance requirements align with this approach, helping ensure the benches, which provide seating for up to 75 people, continue to perform and age gracefully for decades. “For a memorial like this, longevity is es-sential, it’s about creating something that will endure as a lasting tribute to HM the Queen’s life and legacy. Accoya allows us to make design choices with confidence, knowing the material will perform over the long term while retaining a timeless, natural quality that feels entirely appropriate to the setting,” Karn Sandilands, Director at Millimetre, said.

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Forest Tracks: Country-Level Market Insights 2025/2026 is a compilation of national reports submitted by countries to the 83rd session of the UNECE Committee on Forests and the Forest Industry. Source: Timberbiz The document provides a comprehensive overview of forest and forest product-related policies and market trends in Armenia, Austria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, German, Ireland, Kyrgyz Republic, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Sweden, Ukraine and the United Kingdom. Each chapter offers an in-depth analysis of recent trends and an outlook for 2026, with a focus on wood and wood product markets. There is also information on general economic trends affecting the forest and forest industry sectors, policy measures taken in each country, key market drivers and their effects, recent developments, and a near-term outlook for forest and forest product markets. The sectors analysed include wood raw materials, wood energy, certified forest products, sawn softwood and hardwood (both temperate and tropical), structural and non-structural wood-based panels, pulp, paper and paperboard, as well as housing and construction, with a focus on wood construction. Downland the report at https://unece.org/sites/default/files/2026-04/forest-tracks-2025-2026-web-small.pdf  

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A Japanese group of forestry organizations has launched an online timber marketplace in February to match forest owners with buyers nationwide. Source: The Japan times About 30 businesses, mainly buyers, had registered on the platform by the end of April, with timber listings and transactions expected to increase soon. Standing timber is typically traded through negotiations. In such deals, individuals who own forests and small forestry cooperatives often have to sell at depressed prices presented by lumbering companies with large financing power and rich transaction experiences. The new platform was set up by the Tokyo-based group for promoting the use of domestic timber and protecting forests. It makes it easier for both sellers and buyers to find transaction partners from around Japan. The group aims to make the platform “an online flea market site for timber,” an official said. Organizers expect that transaction data accumulated on the site will facilitate the formation of market prices by conditions such as the tree species, volume and location, just as consumer online flea market platforms do. Forest owners could refer to market prices to consider their selling prices. If market prices become widely available, many owners would find it easier to negotiate with lumber businesses. The platform also incorporates into transaction prices reforestation costs, which are entrusted to financial institutions. Sellers can withdraw the money after replanting logged areas. This mechanism to secure reforestation funding is expected to appeal to major construction companies and home builders increasingly seeking timber sourced with consideration for forest conservation after logging.

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Biochar Network New Zealand (BNNZ) is looking forward to exhibiting at the MPI Forestry Hub again at the Fieldays from 10-13 June 2026. Source: Timberbiz The Forestry Hub will showcase the sector’s vital roles in agriculture, construction, energy and carbon management, giving visitors the chance to explore the many aspects of forestry and wood processing in NZ, including biochar. Biochar, a form of charcoal made by heating biomass such as wood residues in a low-oxygen process, is one of few negative emissions technologies (NETs) recognised by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) as safe, scalable, and effective. Biochar safely stores up to half the carbon in its source material for hundreds and even thousands of years. In New Zealand and globally, biochar made from forestry residues is used for a variety of regenerative agriculture applications, saving farmers money, increasing productivity and protecting the environment. “An attractive feature of biochar production is that it also yields significant amounts of useful energy, which can be used for electricity generation or process heat,” BNNZ chair Phil Stevens said. “Timber processors in particular can get multiple income streams from what has been regarded as a waste product, and in the current energy situation that makes our case even more compelling.” Mr Stevens said the growing market for biochar applications in the primary sector as proof that scaling up commercial production will tap latent demand. “Many farmers are feeding it to their stock and reporting several direct benefits: increased weight gain, higher milk production, better overall health, and lower incidence of intestinal parasites,” he said. “The animals then do the work of spreading it around the farm, and once the carbon is in the soil it enhances fertility for the long term.” BNNZ commercial members Southland Carbon have again donated a 1000L bag of their premium biochar for a lucky prize winner and BiocharTP will be returning with their demonstrator Air Curtain Burner to show how the forestry sector’s slash problem can be turned into environmental improvement, regional jobs, and increased revenue. After a successful “Char-B-Q” outing at the 2025 Fieldays, BNNZ will be again demonstrating live action biochar production with the spare heat going to cook venison sausages made from deer culled in North Island forestry blocks. Sausages will be handed out to everyone dropping by the exhibit around midday, and samples of the biochar will also be available. The BNNZ team will also be presenting in the Forestry Hub main stage on biochar production and its applications to agriculture and the natural environment. Schedules will be posted ahead of the event.

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Following considerable community pressure and lobbying by Towong Shire Council, the Victorian Parliament’s summer fires inquiry decided to hold a dedicated ‘open mic’ session for Toowong residents. Source:  Corryong Courier “While this session will be held online and not physically in the shire, it will at least pro-vide an opportunity for the inquiry to hear the voices of our communities directly,” said Towong mayor, Cr Peter Tolsher. Unfortunately, the ‘open mic’ session was held online (with) little time for it to be publicised widely. “It is disappointing that following representations from the community, council and this newspaper the inquiry did not allow sufficient time for all interested parties to prepare a submission for Wednesday’s session,” said Mark Collins, editor of the Corryong Courier. “We did not even receive a media release from the inquiry which would have at least allowed us to post the ‘open mic’ information online.” The inquiry also set a limit of 20 speaking slots for community members, each for three minutes only. Meanwhile, Towong Council has lodged a formal submission with the inquiry. While the focus of its presentation to the inquiry is the fire event in the summer of 2026, it also notes the regular experience of emergency events in the shire and the criticality of governments at all levels understanding, preparing for and responding to the ever-present risks and events that rural communities experience. The submission notes that there have been and will continue to be for some time, broad economic impacts felt within Towong Shire including: the loss of trade for local businesses due to prolonged road closures, restricted access and reduced customer movement the cancellation of accommodation, events and tourism activities during the peak summer period affected hospitality, retail and visitor-based businesses increased financial stress for households and businesses (with compounding impacts on mental health and wellbeing).   The inability of key infrastructure services (power and telecommunication) to maintain reliable and adequate performance during bushfire emergencies was also identified as a serious matter that must be addressed as a priority. The submission said the provision of relief or evacuation centres in the Upper Murray (Corryong and surrounds) is a major challenge in bushfire events and is a lesson that has not been adequately learned from the 2019/20 fires. It recommended that both the Victorian and New South Wales governments better support local cross border communities in establishing and resourcing relief and response outcomes. The transition of the fire event to the recovery stage under the management and responsibility of council has also identified serious issues with the administration and management of Commonwealth and/or State grant support programs. Importantly, the submission noted that the condition of the Murray Valley Highway and Murray River Road is very poor in non-emergency times; plagued by an array of significant and dangerous potholes, deteriorating and rough surfaces, crumbling road shoulders, and more. “In emergency events such as the recent fire, these road conditions are unacceptable, particularly given that both roads are the evacuation routes for community members, and access and response routes for control agencies,” the submission stated. “Significant government funding to restore the roads and to maintain appropriate condition is an urgent requirement.” Council’s [redacted] submission to the inquiry can be viewed at https://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/2026firesinquiry – Submission No 292

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Integral Limited is inviting forest nurseries and forest management companies to register for a free full season trial of PlantIT, its digital tree tracking and management platform designed specifically for the forestry supply chain. Source: Timberbiz PlantIT was created to make tree tracking easier and more efficient for the forestry sector. This full season free trial gives nurseries and forest management companies the opportunity to see how digital tracking can improve accountability, reduce friction, and deliver better operational visibility. Built for the movement of tree stock from nursery to forest, PlantIT improves visibility across dispatch, transport, delivery, planting, and returns. It helps address common seasonal challenges including limited visibility of stock in transit, manual paperwork, avoidable errors, and the difficulty of reconciling what was dispatched, delivered, planted, and returned. For forest nurseries, PlantIT supports more accurate dispatch, stronger box and stock accountability, reduced administration, and a clearer digital record of movement and handover. For forest management companies, it provides better oversight of incoming tree stock, improved field confirmation, and more reliable traceability from uplift through to planting completion. PlantIT is part of Integral’s forestry product suite and supports a more connected and accountable nursery-to-forest supply chain. Developed with the help of the FGR Precision Silviculture Programme, led by Claire Stewart, and with support from Forest Growers Research (FGR), PlantIT reflects a shared focus on improving efficiency, traceability, and innovation across the forestry sector. Organisations interested in taking part in the PlantIT free trial can register their interest with Integral Limited at https://plantit.integral.co.nz/

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